It has become relatively common for individuals to possess a number of different devices through which they communicate. For example, a person may have a home telephone, a wireless telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and an office telephone to name a few. As the population becomes increasingly mobile, more and more conversations and data transactions are occurring on mobile devices such as PDAs and cellular telephones and the like.
Mobile devices are generally battery operated. Today's mobile devices have visual and/or audible indicators alerting a user of the amount of battery power available. Battery indicators allow a user to become aware of a low battery condition and the need for charging the battery. Despite these indicators, it is very common for mobile device batteries to become depleted during a conversation or data transaction, causing the device to power-down during the conversation/transaction. This unintentional interruption is inconvenient, possibly disruptive to the purpose of the conversation/transaction, and highly undesirable. For example, if a mobile device were to power-down during a 911 telephone call, emergency services may never arrive, which could be disastrous. Accordingly, there is a need and desire to switch from one mobile device to another device, possibly another mobile device, when the user detects a low battery condition.
There are many other situations in which a user of a mobile device may find it necessary to switch devices during an active conversation. For example, if the user enters into an area where the wireless service provider does not have a good signal and/or the quality of service drops, the user may find it necessary to switch to another device using a different wireless carrier or possibly even a landline telephone. Regardless of the reason, the switching of devices should be done seamlessly, without interrupting or dropping the conversation, etc. and without the other party or parties being aware of the switch. This is something that cannot be accomplished with today's devices.
It is also desirable for a user of a landline telephone to switch an existing conversation over to a mobile device. This would be beneficial for a user who needs to leave his office or home while on an existing conversation. The switching from the landline telephone to a mobile device should also be done seamlessly, without interrupting or dropping the conversation and without the other party or parties being aware of the switch. This is also something that cannot be accomplished with prior art systems and devices.